How Can CBD Help With Cancer?

There is a lot of conflict going on about how the DEA wants marijuana advocates to stop claiming that medical marijuana cures cancer. They sent out warning letters telling the medical marijuana companies to back off on claims. The CBD companies have been putting on their sites what their products are capable of. And neither party is exactly wrong in this debacle.

The DEA

The DEA isn’t wrong because there isn’t a whole lot of hard evidence with medical marijuana. The problem is not because marijuana can’t yield excellent results, it’s because doing studies on cannabis is harder to do than some realize. There is a lot of red tape to get through to study a marijuana plant such as getting the FDA to approve the study and obtaining a DEA license.

Once they finally get approval and the correct paperwork done, they have to go through yet another set of hoops. The National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA). Many researchers say that NIDA makes things more complicated than they have to be. Some have even reported that if the trial they want to run shows medical benefits towards marijuana, NIDA won't allow access to their marijuana farm.

This year was also the first time in 40 years that NIDA provided marijuana to researchers with mold in every bit of plant, which the FDA had to step in to have a conversation about how much mold is allowed in marijuana.  Scientists and researchers can’t get a whole lot done when their raw ingredients are contaminated.

CBD Companies

Even though it is difficult to legally get the material and have funded research for a hypothesis a lot of people don’t want to be answered, they are still doing it. And this is where CBD companies come in. They are finding this research that can be done and want to spread it to the world. To be honest, once you see what it can do why would you want to keep it a secret? What some might not understand, is that a lot of the testing that is done is done in Petri dishes or animals, making some of the claims seem like they lack any sustenance, however just because they haven’t gone forward in human treatments doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work for humans.

What good and reputable CBD and medical marijuana companies are trying to do is inform the public of what cannabis has done through testimonials and any studies they can get their hands on to show the public how beneficial marijuana could be if the DEA just gave it a chance.

In order to figure out how CBD can help or replace chemotherapy, you have to understand what chemotherapy does. How it cures cancer, the side effects, and the risks of just being exposed to the chemicals without even being treated with them.

How Chemotherapy Works

Chemotherapy works by killing cancer cells, and the effects differ between the types of cancer. The chemo circulates through the body in the bloodstream through systematic treatment, giving the ability to tackle cancer anywhere in the body.

Chemotherapy targets cells that are in the process of splitting. How it kills this process is by attacking the cancer cell’s nucleus making it unable to multiply. If the cancer is extremely advanced, fast-moving, or invasive, multiple treatments and possibly different chemo medications will be needed to attack cells through all stages of division and entirely terminate cancer.

Chemo Therapy Side-Effects Of The User

Because chemo attacks growing cells, it can affect cells in the body that are always increasing. This includes your hair, bone marrow, and stomach lining. Normal healthy cells can replace and repair damaged cells, our brains are designed to protect and survive. And most side effects stop after the treatment is over. But during chemotherapy, this attack on the body can bring up a bucket load of symptoms.

• Nausea
• Pain
• Loss of appetite
• Weak Immune System
• Constipation
• Skin changes

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Chemotherapy Side-Effects Of Those Just Exposed

In 2011, they found that 17% of the nurses who were giving chemotherapy to patients reported being exposed to the deadly chemicals on their skin or in their eyes. Chemotherapy exposure can have adverse effects on the nervous system, the reproductive system, and even increase the risks of developing blood cancer later on in life.

The study also found that the hospitals and offices that had the most accidental exposure were understaffed and had fewer resources than those who had less accidental exposures. They have guidelines given by the National Institute of Occupational Safety, but the rules are not a requirement. Researchers said that in situations where the nurses were required to follow a stricter protocol had fewer incidents, which is not surprising.

CBD And Chemotherapy Side-Effects

Many choose to take CBD while they are undergoing chemo. It is not advised to smoke your medical marijuana during chemotherapy due to potential carcinogens. However vaporizing, edibles, tinctures, and suppositories are still on the table. When using cannabis during chemo, it is always a good idea to not overload your system all at once with your first dose. Just like most medications, it is best to start small and track the effects and work your way up to a dosage that works for you.

NAUSEA

Many people who undergo chemotherapy experience nausea. This makes eating difficult and the battle against this deadly disease even more difficult. Cannabidiol has anti-nausea effects due to its activity with the CB-1 cannabinoid receptor in the brain.

PAIN

When going through chemo, some hurt just everywhere. In their bones, in their skin, in their blood, they can’t escape it. The constant war going on in their body has made itself evident every waking moment, which must be exhausting. CBD has the ability to stop the pain in all areas of the body bringing relief from aching head to stinging toes.

LOSS OF APPETITE

Loss of appetite is no surprise with chemotherapy considering it could be stopping your stomach lining from regenerating and brings states of nausea. While CBD is depleting the nausea, it is also helping with gastrointestinal issues. It calms the digestive tract, slows down harmful overactivity in the brain, and can help boost the appetite.

THC is known for giving people the munchies, and CBD has its own form of it. The reason THC reacts so well with our brains is in part because it is almost identical to a chemical our brain organically creates called anandamide. Anandamide also has similar effects to THC at a lower level like having a calm or elevated mood, increase in appetite, improve sleep and reduce pain. CBD elevates this chemical, bring on its many effects which all benefit those going through chemotherapy.

WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM

When chemotherapy damages the bone marrow, it is unable to produce the blood cells the body needs. Cannabidiol has immune system boosting properties as well as suppressive. CBD just knows it’s job is to regulate, so regulate it does. Pure THC may weaken the system, some researchers say. THC could possibly inhibit the development of the white blood cell, monocyte. Monocytes stimulate other immune cells, creating the attack towards harmful microorganisms. But with adding CBD, it balances the immune system. If the immune system was attacking the body, CBD would suppress the immune cells. But with chemo, the immune system weakens. In this case, CBD actually makes it stronger to keep a balance.

CONSTIPATION

During chemotherapy, some patients may experience constipation. Eating foods high in fiber and have a lot of liquids will help soften the stool to make it easier to pass, but taking CBD as well will make a more significant difference. CBD relaxes the bowels making it even easier to eliminate constipation.  

SKIN CHANGES

Some skin changes can happen with chemotherapy that can be painful or just annoying. Ance, rashes, itchiness, and dryness are all symptoms from chemo one might experience. CBD helps regulate the cell health in the skin, making it healthier. It also balances the oils that keep it from breaking out or drying out. If any rashes are caused by inflammation, CBD calms down the cells that are reacting so you can feel relief.

What Can CBD Do To Cancer?

We do have studies that suggest CBD and other cannabinoids in medical marijuana would be amazing tools in the pharmaceutical industry to battle cancer. The majority of the studies have been done in Petri dishes or animals, so it’s difficult to gauge whether or not the results would transfer at a human level with only looking at the hard evidence we have access to.

Downsizing Tumors

The first time researchers looked at medical marijuana to help treat cancer and its symptoms was in the 1970s. They saw that cannabinoids affected the size of the tumor cells. It’s important to keep in mind that this study was done not in a live person, but in a petri dish. This was the first groundbreaking discovery that didn’t catch much attention.

CBD Could Target Invasive Cancers

In 2009, researchers discovered that CBD helps with extremely invasive cancers. These mice studies show that CBD upregulates TIMP-1, a tissue inhibitor. TIMP-1 levels have been a marker for most invasive cancers, making their relationship between CBD and TIMP-1 reduce the invasiveness of cancer cells.

CBD Could Stop Cancer From Spreading

Studies have also revealed that CBD has stopped cancer cells from multiplying in test mice as well as in human test cells. The results showed that CBD inhibits cell growth without promoting cell death. It also halted invasion from sprouting in the test cells and helped form new blood vessels.

There are those who have decided to opt out of chemotherapy and traditional altogether. This isn’t advised by most doctors considering the risks involved if it doesn’t work, which is death. There was one man who had cancer, and the surgeries weren’t working so he turned to cannabis oil. What he found led him to cure 5000 people with his regimen.

The Man Who Healed 5000 People With Hemp Oil

Rick Simpson, a mechanical engineer and self-taught doctor, was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2002. He had already been through more than one unsuccessful operation on three lesions on his face. After each surgery, they would come back even worse. He used cannabis oil he had from his previous botany interests and waited a few days waiting for results.

When he first checked, nothing had changed. But just four days after initial treatment, he removed his bandage, and he had seen that his lesions were gone. He went fanatic over medical cannabis, like anyone does once they use it themselves, but people mostly shrugged him off. But he reports that after eleven and a half years, it still hasn’t returned.

After seeing this medicine work right before his eyes, he decided he would spread the word and help people suffering. His first case was an elderly man who was suffering from lung cancer. Chemotherapy has swollen the 80-year-old man’s body, he had open wounds on his legs and breathing was obviously difficult for him.

When Simpson confronted the man’s doctor about cannabis oil treatment, the doctor rejected the idea. The suffering man’s son took the oil from Simpson anyways and put a few drops on a cracker and fed it to his father. Within thirty minutes, the elderly man’s breathing became regular and lasted throughout the night.

He has had issues with the law, having his marijuana farm raided several times a year by the police. He wanted fresh raw ingredients which led him to grow his own plants. He was arrested and fined, but the thing Simpson high-lighted the most was how even the judge didn’t agree with what was happening but their hands were tied.

Rick Simpson continues to raise awareness through YouTube videos and testimonials. He doesn’t make claims that he discovered a cure, he more found a way to use cannabis in a way that could help a large number of people. He’s written several e-books that explain his journey and the things he has discovered available on his website.   

The Next Step

If you or your loved one have been diagnosed with cancer, you have probably already done a good amount of research on your particular cancer. Each cancer affects the body differently and may require its own specific treatments. Here is an A-Z list of cancer types if you need to read more about your particular disease.

Being educated it the best way to make the right decision for your body. It is also always a good idea to get multiple doctor’s opinions and letting them know exactly what you are trying to get out of cancer treatment and the worries and fears you have with the options.

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